Court opens hearing for divorce suit against Hanjin chairman's daughter

By Lim Chang-won Posted : October 11, 2018, 16:02 Updated : October 11, 2018, 16:02

[Yonhap Photo]


SEOUL -- Judicial proceedings for a divorce suit filed by the orthopedist husband of Cho Hyun-ah, a former Korean Air vice president known for a "nut rage" incident in 2014, began Thursday to end eight years of their marital status.

A family court in Seoul opened its first hearing attended by legal representatives of Cho and her husband. The session ended in 20 minutes, but there were no official comments. Cho, 44, married her elementary school classmate in October 2010 and has twin children. The husband who runs an orthopedic clinic in southern Seoul filed for a divorce suit on April 2.

The first daughter of Hanjin Group chairman Cho Yang-ho resigned as Korean Air's vice president after she threw a tantrum aboard a plane in December 2014. In March this year, she returned as president of KAL Hotel Network, the group's hotel business wing, but she stepped down again in April after her younger sister, Cho Hyun-min, was accused of throwing water at an advertising agency employee during a business meeting.

Public anger has been widespread over Hyun-min's arrogant behavior and insulting remarks at a number of private and business meetings. Many South Koreans saw it as emblematic of a generation of spoilt and arrogant offsprings of South Korea's family-run conglomerate owners.

The scandal triggered multiple investigations into the group chairman and his family on charges of creating a slush fund, evading taxes, bringing in luxury foreign goods illegally, abusing and assaulting company employees and others. Cho Hyun-ah has been questioned for bringing in personal goods purchased overseas without paying taxes or illegally hiring Filipino housemaids.

Despite strong public demands for punishment, no family members have been arrested yet as court judges were reluctant to issue arrest warrants, citing no possibility of running away or destroying evidence.
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